Christian Atsu has still not been found nine days after the horrific earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. His agent now shares an update that the winger is still being sought.
Atsu scored on the night before as a substitute in the league match against Kasimpasa. The next morning, Turkey was then hit by an earthquake that killed more than a thousand people.
According to reports in Turkey, three Hatayspor players have already been removed from under the rubble with attacker Bertug Yildirim and defenders Kerim Alici and Burak Öksüz, they are doing well given the circumstances.
“It’s now nine days after the earthquake and we still haven’t found Christian. I am at the scene of the earthquake in Hatay, with his family. The images here are beyond imagination, our hearts are broken thinking of all involved. We found the exact location of his room and two pairs of his shoes,” Nana Sechere said on Twitter.
Atsu’s club Hatayspor has been of little help
Sechere has even more information. “We received confirmation yesterday that thermal images show evidence of up to five lives, but I am also told that the only real confirmation of life comes through sight, smell and sound. We haven’t found Christian yet. This is a difficult situation and we are extremely grateful to all Turkish and foreign auxiliaries, local citizens and volunteers for their work.”
Not everyone is equally helpful, according to Sechere, the support of Atsu’s club Hatayspor leaves something to be desired. “It is a pity that the club is not with us to look for Christian. Their position and influence, along with their knowledge of the area, would be extremely helpful. We urge the president of the club, and the mayor Lütfü Savas, to provide additional materials to speed up the rescue operation,” he said.
Atsu, who wore Vitesse’s yellow-black on a rental basis in the 2013/14 season, signed with Hatayspor in September 2022. The city where that club is located, Antakya, was hit hard by the earthquake. According to local reports, in some parts of the city, nearly all homes have been destroyed. In total, more than 37,000 people have now died in Turkey and Syria as a result of the earthquakes, a number that is still rising at a rapid pace.
